I attended both nites Vegas 1 and Vegas 2. Songs played on the setlist from nite 1 to nite 2 was almost identical. This is disappointing if you go to both shows. However, this didn’t really impact my overall experience. Its like asking me if I would not go to Disneyland and enjoy it, if I rode the exact same rides again. As long as money and time permitted, of course I would go, and have an amazing time

This is focused on Vegas 2, so I will try leave out what I have already stated elsewhere for Vegas 1

The sound in GA for Vegas 2 was almost perfect. This was a relief as I has noticed sound issues, and also seen other people comment on the sound mix for nite 1. On the second nite it was crisp and clear throughout the show in GA.

The fact that the setlist was a near copy of the nite before lends to a more clear and easy comparison. Vegas 1 showed some amazing highlights, and how well the new songs were not only performed, but well received. Sing-alongs for both shows are much stronger for older songs, this is obvious and expected - they are played every tour and audiences have had years to not only play the recordings, but they’ve experienced them live many times already. There were sing-alongs for the newer material, but you could really hear reception in the cheering afterwards. Almost all the recordings online cut off the audience reactions, or reduce audience “noise” as much as possible. But songs like Love is Bigger received HUGE reactions.

For both rides, I attended with 1 casual-listener friend. Each of the people (a different one on each nite) I have attended many other concerts with. Neither listen to U2 much. One is my age, in early 40s, the other is younger mid 20s. In both cases, each person was in awe during the concert, and kept mouthing “WOW” throughout the performance. This was happening when we still had many songs to go before intermission. When intermission did come and she was breathless, thinking it was over, I had to tell her “Girl, you just at halftime”

All the areas from nite 1 that I thought could use some work or adjusting, worked really well and flowed well on the second nite. The transition into Ocean worked much better. Iris into Cedarwood Road was much improved and Acrobat going into You’re the Best Thing About Me did not pull me out of the momentum, thinking “does this work?” like it did on nite 1 (even if that moment was brief). It just flowed well

Stepping away from the visuals and production… every song was performed at a higher level on nite 2. The band were not only tighter, but there was a palpable energy that brought this show higher. Perhaps nite 1 felt more like a show that had its script and all the pieces are great and you can see and feel all of that. Nite 2 felt and flowed like a whole experience, it was almost seamless. The best example of this was Desire going into Acrobat. On the second nite, they did a snippet of Sympathy for the Devil (also done in San Jose), and it worked brilliantly, as if it was always meant to be part of the show (and should be). I am not the biggest fan of the Ocean/Iris portion, but again, this performance was far superior. Get Out of Your Own Way also feels more natural coming out of Pride.

The new songs are really powerful live. They get better from night to night. At this point some feel like they have been playing them for years: Lights of Home, Blackout and American Soul are powerful. On nite 2 the Acoustic version of You’re the Best Thing was majestic. With the sound mix right, the song floated out beautifully. Love is Bigger was another amazing performance. The only issue I had was the crowd started to sing the “Oh oh oh oh ooooooooohs” after the end of the song, but Bono started to go right into 13. Even though these new songs are great now, there is a feeling about them, that the band haven't even gotten to the point where they feel really loose and in full command of them yet, and they will take off even more as the tour progresses.

The entire bstage portion gelled so well - My friend and I got the chills during Staring at the Sun and Pride. There is a moment where the screen explicitly makes a point of Bono wiping off his makeup (I think its after Acrobat and before Best Thing) and even my casual listener friend understood the symbolism without knowing any background on Macphisto.

Older songs that may have lost their shine are powerhouses now - These may be the most rapturous performances of One and Pride in several tours. These songs have both been soaring and epic before, but here it more than anthemic. There is a majestic power to what they are creating in these songs now.

Both casual-listener friends were in awe during the show and really enjoyed themselves. At least one may have drunk the Kool Aide and joined the Cult. The other may as well. Both left with a sense of wonder, amazed, with their minds blown, but also not just wanting to hear more, but thinking about what they experienced. I hope I can experience this tour some more down the road. It is not just a great visual spectacle. It is not only a personal narrative … it truly is a “musical journey” We are still feeling the impact of the experience days later.

The performance has so much going on. I forgot to mention that there are big bold statements and moments in the show, most of which have been discussed and covered. However there are also many smaller subtler elements, perhaps more than any other tour. Articles/posts have already been written about Bono's MRI in the show, and other sounds of an ER or hospital.

It has also been written that the silhouettes in Blackout may represent try to break free from the state/realm they are in - we see their silhouettes seemingly press against the screen during the song, then at the end the screen rises to finally reveal the band members. They could have chosen to appear in the next song, but it is a conscious decision to come out of the Blackout. After, during Lights of Home, Bono sings it on the catwalk, raised just above the audience. He is still elevated, with lights below him, not quite back down to earth... home, yet. He comes down to the lowest level, BStage, and the lights below him go out, right as the song reaches the "Free yourself..." part. He is now grounded

When the band all come together on the stage later in the show, the stage below them lights up and essentially becomes a screen. At one point(I forget which song, but believe occurs on one of the songs before Staring at the Sun), I am pretty sure the moon is displayed on the stage they are standing on. Then, quite on-the-nose, the sun is displayed on the screen they are standing on, during Staring at the Sun. But it doesn't stop there, towards the end of the song, as Bono sings extra repeats of the "Happy to go blind" lyric, the screen at their feet shows an eclipse of the sun, while the the large main screen over the catwalk displays the images of modern day hate groups. In the same moment they slap you in the face with a purposeful no-nonsense full-throttle visual attack, while, also displaying subtle nuance simultaneously.

In addition to helping me pick up on things that I'd yet to notice from the videos I've seen, I'm glad to hear that you were able to spot them from GA. I've only bought tickets to a show for anywhere other than the floor once, but with the I+E/E+I stage I've worried about the tradeoff between catching the stage and being close to the band. (I chose close both nights of I+E, if you know who to look for you can spot me in someone's video of Cedarwood Road in Chicago.) Thanks for giving me another reason to count down the days to GA in DC!

reading other people accounts/reviews and seeing 2 shows helped. If you are in GA, Id keep my eyes on the band mostly, while occasionally looking up at the screen. For the most part the screen will make itself known when you need to focus on it. Also other audience members will either point to where to focus, or you'll see them focus somewhere.

There are other moments, esp in GA, where not knowing exactly where to focus seems to be intentional. This is my thought, as the show is very good and directing focus, but during key moments there are multiple separate elements to grab your attention, and it feels intentional immersive and for lack of a better word, chaotic (but not negative).